Bracelet or the like



y 1942. A. F. REILLY 2,283,015 I BRACELET OR THE LIKE Filed Jan. 8, 1942 Patented May 12, 1942 V were UNHTED STATES PATENT @FFEQE BRACELET OR THE LIKE Alfred F. Reilly, North Attleboro, Mass.

Application January 8, 1942, Serial No. 426,093

4 Claims.

The invention relates to an expansible bracelet or like device. It contemplates a plurality of units which may be nearly in contact with each other or slightly separated from each other so as to be substantially in contact. Each unit is fastened preferably to an adjacent unit by means which provides a sliding contact so that the units may be separated from each other preferably against a spring normally tending to hold them together. the bracelet or other device for putting it in position for use or wear. For instance, the bracelet in normal position may be substantially the right size to more or less snugly engage the arm or wrist. The expansible means makes it possible to expand the size of the bracelet large enough to allow the hand to be passed therethrough, after which the bracelet may contract and rest upon the arm or wrist.

The present invention contemplates-new and improved means for allowing expansion and effecting the contraction of the device. In each unit of the device may be arranged a bar having at its ends arms extending at an angle therefrom so that the whole forms a more or less U-shaped member. Between the bar or base of the U and the portion of the unit carrying the member may be inserted a spring or other resilient means. The arms may extend through guideways in the unit and have means on their ends to engage an adjacent unit. When the units are forced apart the arms may slide through the guideways and compress the resilient means which on release will shorten the circumference of the entire device.

Each unit may be made up of a shell-like piece having upwardly extending walls. With this may be associated a cover member having downwardly extending walls adapted to lie in close contact with the walls of the base. The cover and base may be connected together in any suitable manner. For instance the overhanging Walls of the cover may extend below the bottom of the base and be slightly indented and so held in position. The cover may carry an inset ornamental piece, which, or any suitable device, may, if desired, be integral with the walls of the cover.

In order to hold the U-shaped expansible member in the device the arms may extend through guideways in one wall through which they may slide. For convenience it may be desired to employ arms on the U-shaped member of less height than the height of the unit. In order that the guideways may hold the members in proper position it may be desirable, therefore,

This separation of the units enlarges correspondingly spaced slots open at the bottom 1 I ning downward only part Way. Cooperating with these may be in the overfitting wall of the cover ofthe wall of the cover and extending upward but stopping before thetop of the cover wall is reached. When the cover is then nested or telescoped over the base the guideway will be formed separated from both the top and bottom of the unit. The U-shaped member may thu be held from falling out of the unit. In order to grasp and hold the ends of the U-shaped member extending from adjacent units the ends may be somewhat enlarged or provided with smaller necks near the ends. In the overlying walls of the top and bottom members of the unit there may be provided registering T-shaped openings. Preferably the leg of the T will be arranged horiz'ontally and the top of the T arranged vertically. The arms of the. U-shaped member may be sufficiently resilient to allow their ends to be flexed for instance somewhat toward each other to go through the two vertical members of the slots and then, when released, be pushed sideways to seatthemselves in the horizontal portions of the slots with the notched ends of the arms being pulled against the edges of the slots by pressure of the resilient member.

It will be understood that the invention may take many practical forms. Without intending to confine the invention or to limit it thereto there is illustrated in the accompanying drawing one specific embodiment of the invention.

In the accompanying drawing Figure I is a diagrammatic side elevation of a bracelet or the like; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary top plan view showing a plurality of units partially expanded; Fig. 3 is a rear or bottom plan View of the device of Fig. 2 without expansion; Fig, 4 i a transverse vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; Fig.6 is an expanded side elevation showing the top and bottom members of one unit taken from the right of Fig. 4; Fig. '7 is an expanded side elevation of the top and bottom members of one unit taken from the left of Fig. 4.

The bracelet or the like may be madeup of a plurality of units In, H, I2, I 3, etc., which are held side by side and may be arranged to complete a ring as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 1. Each unit may comprisea top member which may, like the rest of the device, be made of a precious or other metal plain or ornamented.

As indicated, the unit I2 may have set in its top an ornamental plate I4, made of metal or side wall I6 is provided with suitably spaced slots I! open at the bottoms and extending not all the way to the top of the side wall I6. The opposite side wall I of each top member is provided with T-shaped slots I8 (see Fig. '7). These slots I8 preferably do not extend to either edge of the wall I6. Cooperating with the top members in each unit is a bottom member I9 which has upwardly extending side walls and 2|. The top members may be placed over the bottom members so that the side walls lie in close contact with each other, the wall I5 engaging the wall 20 and the wall I6 engaging the wall 2|. As indicated in Fig. 6 the walls 2| of the bottom members have spaced slots 22 which register with the slots II in the cover wall I6. The slots 22 are open at the upper edges of the walls 2| and do not extend to the bottom of the walls. When the members are placed in position it will be seen that the registering slots I1 and 22 form a short guideway separated from both bottom and top of each unit. The side wall 20 of each bottom member of each unit as shown in Fig. '7 is provided with spaced T-shaped slots 23 which register with the slots I8 in the walls I5 of the top members when the unit is assembled. On the side walls such as I5 and I6 of the top members are extensions 24 going beyond the bottoms of the side walls 20 and 2I of the bottom members. When assembled parts of the member 24 may be turned in as indicated at 25 on Fig. 3

so as to hold the units assembled.

In each unit is a strap or bar 26 which, as shown, is provided with overturned edge walls 21. The strap 26 is provided with upturned arms 28. The arms 28, before the device is assembled, are arranged to project through the combined slots |'|22 through which they may easily slide and which act as guideways for them. The ends of the arms 28 are provided with cross members 29 which are wider than the arms 28. The device will preferably be made of suitable resilient or flexible material, metal being preferable. Thus the ends of the arms 28 may be pressed slightly together so that the enlargements 29 thereon may pass through the vertical portion of the assembled slots I8-23. The arms 28 may then be released and they will pass into the horizontal portions of the properly spaced T-shaped slots I8-23 and be held therein since the enlarged portion 29 is too large to pass out through the horizontal portions of the slots. A spring, here shown as a leaf spring 30, is placed between the rod or bar 26 and the adjacent wall I5-2I of the unit. The spring 30 is formed or set so that normally when in position indicated in the unit II in Fig. 2 its ends rest against the rod 26 between the side members 21 and have a sliding contact. The belly of the spring 39 rests against the wall 2I of the unit. In this position it will be understood that pressure of the spring on the rod 25 tends to pull the arms 28 through their guideways, thus tending to hold the adjacent units, such as I2, in close contact with the unit II. When, however, it is desired to enlarge the bracelet or the like for the purpose of adjustment or putting it on, the adjacent units may be forced slightly apart as indicated at the right in Fig. 2. This movement causes the arms 28 to slide through their guideways |'|22 against the pressure of the spring 30, the ends of which are allowed to slide on the bar 26 as the spring is compressed. The arrangement is such that the units may separate throughout their length, or one arm 28 may slide further than the other as the spring 39 turns on its belly. Thus the units may be separated further at one side than at the other.

When a separate insert is used, such as I4, in the unit I2, it may be held in position in the cover member in any suitable way such as by inturned lugs 3| in the sides and ends of the bottom member I9 of the unit.

In assembling the device the spring 39 may have its ends placed in position against the rod 28 between the side walls 21 and the arms 28 then may be placed in the slots 22 in the side wall 2| of the base member IS. The cover II or I2 of the unit may then be placed in position with the slots II right over the slots 22. As the side wall I5 is pressed down the slot left by the registry of the slots |'|22 will be soshort that the extended portion 29 of the arms 28 which is outside the unit will not pull through the guideway formed about the arms 28. In this position the arms28 may be pulled outward, compressing the spring 39. A slight forcing of the arms 28 toward each other will bring them in position to have their extended portions 29 pass through the yond the horizontal portions of the slots I8-23,

thus holding the units in assembled condition.

The assembled device may be made larger or smaller at any time by inserting or removing units. The device may be opened and a unit removed by pushing or pulling the members apart as illustrated at the right of Fig. 2. In this position one or both of the arms 28 may be pressed toward each other so that the end portions 29 may be withdrawn through the vertical portions of the slots I8 and 23.

While not essential it may be desirable to have the bottom surfaces of the bottom members I9 curved on a slight arc so as to tend to correspond to the circle of the completed device as indicated in Fig. 1.

The units have been illustrated as rectangular, thus producing straight side walls which come in more or less complete contact with each other. This is not essential however, and the units may be made of any suitable size and their walls need not necessarily be in complete contact.

Various changes in construction may be made without departing from the invention as here disclosed and claimed. The units may be of any suitable size and shape and each unit or appropriate parts thereof may be made of any suitable material including precious metals and jewels.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a bracelet or the like a plurality of units each comprising a base member having upwardly extending side walls, vertical spaced slots in one side wall, spaced T-shaped slots in the opposite wall; a cover member having downwardly extending walls in close contact with the corresponding walls of the base member and extending below the bottom of the base member and turned inwardly thereagainst so as to hold them in position, vertical slots in one wall of the cover member extending from the bottom of the wall toward the top and registering at least in part with the vertical slots in the underlying wall of the base member, T-shaped slots in the opposite wall of the cover member registering with the T-shaped slots in the underlying wall of the base member; connecting members for the units comprising a bar within the base member, sliding enclosing seats on the bar, a curved leaf spring having its ends in the enclosing seats and lying between the bar and the wall which has vertical slots and tending to hold the bar away from the wall, arms extending from the ends of the bar through the vertical slots in the wall of the base 7 member and through the slots in the opposite wall of an adjacent unit, and means for holding the arms in the last named slots.

2. In a bracelet or the like a plurality of units each comprising a base member, side walls on the base member, spaced slots in one side wall, spaced T-shaped slots in the opposite wall having the cross member of the T vertical and the stem of the T extending horizontally toward the ends of the base member; a cover member, walls on the cover member in close contact with the corresponding walls of the base member and extending below the bottom of the base member and turned inwardly thereagainst so as to hold them in position, slots in one wall of the cover member registering at least in part with the slots in the underlying wall of the base member, slots in the opposite wall of the cover member registering with the slots in the underlying wall of the base member; connecting members for the units comprising a bar within the base member, a curved leaf spring between the bar and the first mentioned wall and tending to hold the bar away from the wall, overturned edges on the bar forming enclosing sliding seats for the ends of the spring, arms extending from the ends of the bar through the slots in the first mentioned Walls of the base member and cover member and through the slots in the opposite walls of the base member and cover member of an adjacent unit, and means for holding the arms in the last named slots.

3. In a bracelet or the like a plurality of units each comprising a base member, upwardly extending side walls on the base member, spaced slots in one side wall extending from the top toward the bottom, spaced T-shaped slots in the opposite wall; a covermember, downwardly extending walls on the cover member in close contact with the, corresponding walls of the base member, slots in one wall of the cover member extending from the bottom of the wall toward the top and registering at'least in part with the slots in the underlying wall of the base member, T-shaped slots in the opposite wall of the cover member registering with the T-shaped slots in the underlying wall of the base member; and connecting members for the units comprising a bar within the base member, a curved leaf spring between the bar and the first mentioned wall and tending to hold the bar away from the wall, overturned edges on the bar forming enclosing sliding seats for the ends of the spring, arms extending from the ends of the bar through the registering portions of the first mentioned slots in the walls of the base member and cover member and through the stem portions of the T- shaped slotsin the walls of an adjacent unit, the

arms having ends extending beyond the edges on the base of the U-shaped member, a curved leaf spring having its ends between the over-v turned edges and lying between the base of the U shaped member and the portion of the enclosing unit between the guideways, and means on the ends of the arms of the U-shaped member for engaging the adjacent unit.

, g i ALFRED F. REILLY, 

